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OAKLAND,CALIF- MARCH 15: Executive Director Scott McKibben outline the details of the lease during the meeting of the Coliseum Stadium Authority Board at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, March 15, 2019. The board voted unanimously to approve the lease extension that will keep the Raiders in Oakland next season with the option of an additional year. (Photo by Laura A. Oda/MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images)

The self-dealing by ousted Oakland Coliseum CEO Scott McKibben in a naming-rights deal with RingCentral was brazen, amazingly stupid and, from the evidence revealed so far, potentially illegal.

McKibben was supposed to be representing the interests of the Coliseum and the public. But documents show he billed RingCentral for a $50,000 consulting fee. That’s right: He billed the company he was supposed to be negotiating with for his services.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley should investigate and, unless there’s exculpatory information that has not been revealed, prosecute him. The selling out of the public interest by a top government administrator must be severely punished.

Meanwhile the deal with RingCentral should be rescinded. “The person negotiating for the taxpayer had a financial interest in the contract,” notes government ethics expert Michael Martello. “There’s no way to unring that bell. The contract should be voided.”

And the Coliseum Authority board members, who oversee the facilities where the Oakland A’s and Raiders play, and their city and county attorneys should end their stonewalling and provide the public with a full explanation of what they know about McKibben’s actions.

There must be a full airing of how he apparently tried to personally profit from his public position, how the board learned of it and why it was kept under wraps, even after McKibben was fired. For his part, McKibben on Thursday declined my request to explain his actions and answer our questions.

The Coliseum and Oracle Arena are jointly owned by the city and county and operated under a joint-powers agreement with representatives of both agencies serving as board commissioners. McKibben worked for the board, serving as the executive director and CEO.

It was in that role that he represented the Coliseum board in negotiations for the three-year, $3 million naming rights deal with RingCentral. But documents this news organization obtained last week show that after the Coliseum board signed off on the agreement, McKibben sought a $50,000 fee from RingCentral.

It’s stunning to think about: McKibben was earning $300,000 annually as the CEO and executive director for the Coliseum Authority. His duty was to represent his public agency board. But the bills, which he signed and sent from his personal email account, indicate he was essentially seeking a kickback from RingCentral.

The three bills were sent on June 17, 20 and 25. In each one, he seeks the same $50,000 payment, which he calls in the third bill a “consulting fee.”

It was in that third bill that he provides the most detail about the services he claims to have provided: “Analysis and valuation” of Coliseum “assets”; presentation of assets to the RingCentral executive team; site tours at the Coliseum; and leading negotiations between the authority and RingCentral.

Then there was the kicker: “Worked closely with Coliseum Authority Board to secure final unanimous approval of a 3-year contract for the Naming Rights.” In essence he’s asking RingCentral to pay him for doing the job for which he was already being paid by the public agency.

We don’t know if the invoices were as much of a surprise to RingCentral as they were to us. A company spokeswoman declined to answer questions. “We cannot comment on internal personnel matters” at the Coliseum Authority, she said in an emailed statement.

State law prohibits public employees from having financial interests in contracts they negotiate on behalf of taxpayers. This is not a mere technicality. Government Code Section 1090 is the legal line in the sand for public officials, the one they know they step over at the risk of great peril. Violation can be pursued civilly or criminally, up to felony charges punishable by state prison time.

The law also provides that deals cut in violation of Section 1090 can be voided, which, in this case, it should be. One million dollars a year for the naming rights on a stadium next to a major freeway with a pro team — and for the first year, at least, two pro teams — is a pittance. In comparison, Levi’s paid about $11 million a year to put its name on the stadium where the 49ers play.

We’ll never know how much the Coliseum Authority board members could have bargained for if they had a negotiator solely representing them. That’s what they apparently thought they had, but McKibben was trying to line his own pocket by cutting his own deal.

Dan Borenstein is an award-winning columnist for the Bay Area News Group and editorial page editor of the East Bay Times. He has worked for the Times and its affiliated newspapers since 1980, including previous assignments as political editor, Sacramento bureau editor, projects editor and assistant metro editor. A Bay Area native, he holds master’s degrees in public policy and journalism from University of California, Berkeley.